Beijing - Lanzhou Train

Two pairs of high speed trains and seven pairs of normal ones are operated between the two cities. The former ones take 8.5 to 9.5 hours for the whole journey, and the latter ones take 16 to 28.5 hours.

Alternatively, you can travel by flight which takes 2.5 hours or so, but the ticket costs a little more than train ticket, especially in peak season for tourism. If you travel in a hurry, flight is a good choice. However, you may suffer from flight delays as flights can be easily affected by weather changes.

Xi'an - Lanzhou: Xi'an-Lanzhou High Speed Railway was put into service on July 9th, 2017. Journey time between the two cities has been shortened to 3 hours or so. The section passes by Xi'an North, Xianyang Qindu, Yangling South, Baoji South, Tianshui South, Taian, and Dingxi North.

Normal Trains

Beijing to Lanzhou Train Schedule

(Last Update on Sep 11, 2019)

Train No.

Departure - Arrival

Travel Time

T175

13:05 - 07:44+

18h39m

Z55

14:58 - 07:30+

16h32m

Z75

15:57 - 10:30+

18h33m

Z151

16:03 - 11:19+

19h16m

Z21

20:00 - 12:17+

16h17m

K885

23:43 - 05:07++

29h24m

Lanzhou to Beijing Train Timetable

(Last Update on Sep 11, 2019)

Train No.

Departure - Arrival

Travel Time

K886

09:03 - 11:30+

26h27m

T176

15:05 - 09:37+

18h32m

Z22

16:30 - 08:28+

15h58m

Z152

17:11 - 14:26+

21h15m

Z76

17:30 - 14:32+

21h2m

Z56

21:10 - 13:38+

16h28m

Beijing - Lanzhou Train Ticket Fare

(Last Update on Sep 11, 2019)

Soft Sleeper

Hard Sleeper

Hard Seat

CNY 549.5 - 617USD 81 - 91

CNY 367.5 - 408USD 54 - 60

CNY 189.5 - 213USD 28 - 31

In Beijing only K885/K886 are operated in Beijing Railway Station which is only 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from Tiananmen Square and can be reached by subway line 2. Others originate and end in West Railway Station, which is a little far from city center, but transportation there is pretty convenient. Subway line 7 and line 9 and many city buses connect this station with the downtown area.

At the other side, all of them are operated in Lanzhou Railway Station, but some of them just stop there for 15 minutes or so. Passengers should prepare in advance to detrain or aboard in time. Passengers are advised to choose overnight sleeper trains such as T17, Z22, or Z55 as they depart in the afternoon and arrive in the next morning, saving the day time and one-night accommodation fee.

Is it easy to get taxi at Beijing West Station around 10pm and how much it approximately costs? Thank you.

Answers (1)

Answered by Tate from NEW ZEALAND | Sep. 12, 2019 04:23

00Reply

You can always find taxi service at a railway station, even in mid-night. It should be around 40min though a 12km distance. If at night time, the taxi fare could be higher, maybe around 50RMB. If you do not have too much luggage with you, you can consider metro line 7 from the station to Ciqikou and then change to line 5 to Beixinqiao. The exit D is in walking distance to the hotel. The duration is almost the same as taxi.

Asked by Dolly from FRANCE | Apr. 02, 2019 16:57Reply

Is there any meal offered on train Z55 to Lanzhou?

Answers (1)

Answered by Henry | Apr. 03, 2019 19:05

00Reply

There should be box meal for sale in dinner time, but surely Chinese type of food. During other times, there can be snacks and fruits etc. Chinese passengers like to bring their own food or eat cut noodle. You can have a try as well.

Asked by Justin | Nov. 23, 2018 00:57Reply

If I will take the train G427 at 6:20am, how early should I be there for ticket collection?

Will the ticket office work in such early morning?

Answers (1)

Answered by Luana from MEXICO | Nov. 25, 2018 16:32

00Reply

It would be better to be there about 1 hour in advance. The office should be in service, or at least a few of counters should be in service. I can see that there are even a ride from Beijing West station at 5:14am. So it should be fine.